#hawaii volcano

Episode 44 of the ongoing Kīlauea eruption at Halemaʻumaʻu began at 11:10 a.m. today, April 9, with lava fountaining at the summit caldera.

Precursory activity at Kīlauea on Hawaiʻi Island has paused, but an episodic fountaining eruption is forecast to occur sometime between today and April 15.  Fountaining episodes typically last less than 12 hours but ash can remain in the air longer depending on wind and weather.

The summit region of Kīlauea experienced tephra fallout and a Kona low storm this past week. Cleanup, recovery, and regrowth is ongoing. These processes are natural and have been recognized and embodied in Native Hawaiian oral traditions about Pele, Lono, and Hiʻiaka.

Episode 43 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption ended at 6:21 p.m. on March 10, 2026, and the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption is currently paused.

The Volcano Observatory Notice to Aviation is a notification product used by volcano observatories globally to inform the aviation community (pilots, air traffic managers, dispatchers, meteorologists, and airlines) of volcanic activity that could pose a hazard to aviation. An upcoming change in message formatting will improve the way that the aviation community gets this information.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports that the V3 camera for live streaming of eruptive activity at Kīlauea, is now back online after onsite maintenance. Scientists with the HVO say preliminary models suggest the likely forecast window for the onset of episode 43 lava fountaining is March 6-16.

Episode 40 of lava fountaining in Halemaʻumaʻu began at the summit of Kīlauea began at 8:22 a.m. HST on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. 

Episode 39 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption ended abruptly at 2:13 a.m. on Dec. 24, 2025 after 5.9 hours of continuous fountaining. Lava fountains from the south vent reached up to 1400 ft while north vent fountains were just under 1000 feet around 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 23.

The forecast window for the onset of the next episode of lava fountaining at Kīlauea runs from Dec. 23-26, with Episode 39 likely to begin on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, according to scientists with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Recent episodes featured the highest lava fountains, the most volume of lava erupted, and the highest rate of lava effusion for this event, which has now lasted over 10 months. 

Kīlauea summit inflation immediately resumed following the end of episode 35 and continues along with tremor and vent glow. These observations indicate that another fountaining episode is probable, but likely at least two weeks away. 

Precursory low-level activity for episode 35 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption increased on Thursday morning, Oct. 16, 2025, with a series of lava overflows and drainbacks occurring from the south vent. 

Update: Episode 34 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption ended abruptly at 7:03 a.m. HST on Oct. 1 after just over 6 hours of continuous fountaining.

Episode 33 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption began at 3:11 a.m. HST on Friday, Sept. 19 and is currently fountaining within the summit caldera. Current fountain height is greater than 500 feet and the convective plume is about 10,000 feet AGL, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Episode 31 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption ended abruptly at 2:52 a.m. HST on Aug. 23 after 12.6 hours of continuous fountaining. Lava fountains from the north vent reached up to 325 feet and sustained this height during most of this episode.

Episode 30 vigorous fountaining of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption at Kīlauea began at approximately 1:20 a.m. HST on Wednesday, Aug. 6 and is currently producing broad fountains 150-300 feet high from the north vent.  

The spectacular series of Kīlauea eruption episodes over the past six months has been remarkably safe for public viewing, but a simple change in the wind or brief vent collapse could cause dramatic changes in the hazards the volcano presents.

As another school year ends, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory welcomes two new summer interns: Kamalani Poepoe and Ruth Gale. With an ongoing eruption at the summit Kīlauea, now is the perfect time for these interns to contribute to ongoing work to better understand eruptions in Hawaiʻi. 

Episode 25 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption ended at 8:08 p.m. HST on June 11, 2025, after about 8 hours of continuous fountaining. Lava fountains from the north vent reached over 1,000 ft during this episode.

Episode 25 precursory activity started within Halemaʻumaʻu at Kīlauea on the morning of June 10. Glow and scattered spattering at the north vent changed to more continuous spattering in the early morning hours, according to a status update from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.